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You have to laugh darkly at the behaviour of the stock market to the election. For weeks they discuss, trump vs biden, trump, biden and in the end it pops due to the prospect of political gridlock.
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People should really listen to what he is saying on monetary policy 3. The point where governments influence on capital flows within society grows.
If we think in terms of historical cycles than it means something different to have the landscape in american politics of today, than say in the 1950s or 1980s etc. In other words, this is not a time (stage of the cycle) where you want fiscal hawks to have strong influence. It also means one's views need to take into account the point in the cycle we are on, ones views need to change as the cycle progresses, not remain anchored to idelogical talking points.
So the fact the senate remains under the influence of the fiscal hawks is ill timed. (edit. although it was never clear how a biden admin would think on these issues and what people would be positioned to make policy....it doesnt matter as much now as he is limited...)Last edited by tantalus; 07 Nov 20,, 20:44.Comment
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Common sense: don't cut government spending until private spending can replace it.Originally posted by tantalus View Post
People should really listen to what he is saying on monetary policy 3. The point where governments influence on capital flows within society grows.
If we think in terms of historical cycles than it means something different to have the landscape in american politics of today, than say in the 1950s or 1980s etc. In other words, this is not a time (stage of the cycle) where you want fiscal hawks to have strong influence. It also means one's views need to take into account the point in the cycle we are on, ones views need to change as the cycle progresses, not remain anchored to idelogical talking points.
So the fact the senate remains under the influence of the fiscal hawks is ill timed. (edit. although it was never clear how a biden admin would think on these issues and what people would be positioned to make policy....it doesnt matter as much now as he is limited...)
However, do bear in mind that it is the House, and not the Senate, that controls the purse strings.Trust me?
I'm an economist!Comment
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Yes, he is going to be a very busy man for the next four years. It is well deserved given the liar, cheat, and a weasel he is. Hopefully he ends up with a felony conviction out of New York.Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
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“Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
Mark TwainComment
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well, SECDEF just got fired via tweet; looks like "Yesper" wasn't "Yes" enough for him.
should someone tell Trump that making a bunch of personal enemies as he goes out the door is probably ill-advised?There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac AsimovComment
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Mark Esperanto deserved a better....nah, he knew what he was getting into.Originally posted by astralis View Post“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”Comment
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FYI - I have started a new thread to cover the Trump to Biden transition here
Please make relevant posts in that thread going forward.“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”Comment
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Trump fires the Secretary of Defence on Twitter; why now?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-esp...ring-1.5795341Comment
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If it was any other President, they would've waited until their 2nd term officially starts.Originally posted by InExile View Post
In Trump's case, he's purging the disloyal elements of his "Administration". This has been anticipated for quite some time. As his niece Mary quite correctly predicted, he'll spend his last days in the White House "breaking things"“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”Comment
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i know Esper is trying to ensure his name doesn't go down in infamy, but still, how many national security folks have said that Trump is an utter moron and incompetent now?
Trump is frankly the biggest living breathing argument against democracy that I've ever seen. one of the biggest reasons why I hate the man is because he's seriously made me question the intelligence and morals of 71 million of my fellow Americans.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5...en-god-help-us
Esper: If my replacement is 'a real yes man' then 'God help us'
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview published Monday that if his replacement is “a real yes man” then “God help us.”
In an interview last week with the Military Times, the now-former secretary said he decided to pick his fights with President Trump while as the head of the Department of Defense, adding he had no regrets in how he handled himself.
“At the end of the day, it’s as I said — you’ve got to pick your fights,” he told the Military Times on Nov. 4. “I could have a fight over anything, and I could make it a big fight, and I could live with that —why? Who’s going to come in behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us.”
When asked if other Defense secretaries have spent as much time attempting to balance the president’s wishes with their potential national security effects, he said, “Probably not. I don’t know, I’ve only worked for a couple.”
Trump announced he had fired Esper over Twitter, two days after President-elect Joe Biden was projected to have won the presidential election. The president named Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as acting secretary of Defense “effective immediately.”
"Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service,” the president posted.
Esper’s relationship with Trump had turned tense over the summer as the former secretary publicly spoke out against Trump’s plan to deploy troops to respond to racial justice protests. He told the Military Times that he had no intention of quitting but expected to be potentially terminated at an unknown time.
The former secretary told the news outlet he “absolutely” would have resigned if Trump overruled the Pentagon’s approval for Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s promotion. Vindman, who testified at Trump’s impeachment inquiry, ultimately resigned from his commission and retired from the Army after his promotion was held up.
Esper’s critics had labeled him as “Yesper” for allegedly going along with Trump’s plans, which the former secretary said he takes issue with.
“My frustration is I sit here and say, ‘Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who’s pushed back more than anybody?’ Name another Cabinet secretary that’s pushed back,” he said. "Have you seen me on a stage saying, ‘Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?’ "
But Esper told the Military Times he felt like he had to continue as secretary despite the tensions with Trump and the White House.
“Yeah, look, I mean ― my soldiers don’t get to quit,” he said. “So if I’m going to quit, it better be over something really, really big. And otherwise, look, I’m going to do what I’ve always done, which is try and shape it the best I can.”There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac AsimovComment
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There is an interesing passage in Steven Pinkers Enlightment Now I wish I could copy and paste it here.Originally posted by astralis View Post
Basicially it conveys that we have deluded oursleves into imagining why democracy works somehow relating to voters carefully deliberating before voting. Research shows that people spend basically no time thinking on these things. And there is a massive disconnect between voter values and who they vote for. Therefore we make a mistake extrapolating Trump voters from Trump himself.
Democracies work beacuse its a practical way to bring about regime change without the need to resort to violence and allows people to complain freely, so not building up exposive dissent.. And there are alot of other features within modern nations which help modern democracies to function. Many of the things that we consider as postive features within democracies are often just bugs.
So Karl Popper bascially suggested reframing Democracy (atleast for poltical scientists) from "Who should rule?" to "How do we change dismiss bad leadership without bloodshed"...This was a ahha moment for me and I felt relieved having reset my expectations for elections.Last edited by tantalus; 09 Nov 20,, 23:15.Comment
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While true, most of us still like to believe in the fantasy of a small-r republican citizenry, where voters are well-informed, motivated, and disdainful of poor behavior. This place exists in the same universe as Lake Wobbegon and the small towns in the Hallmark Christmas movies."The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von BismarckComment
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Fox News host cuts away from White House press secretary over her unproven claims of widespread voter fraud
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has officially found the line for Fox News — and crossed it.
On Monday, McEnany continued to peddle the Trump administration's baseless claims that Democrats stole the election, alleging that the party is "welcoming fraud and … welcoming illegal voting." Though Fox News let McEnany run on for some time before cutting in, anchor Neil Cavuto did eventually interrupt. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I think we have to be very clear," he said after breaking in. "She's charging that the other side is welcoming fraud and illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can't in good countenance continue showing you this."
Cavuto added that it is an "explosive charge" to say the other side is "effectively rigging and cheating," and that "if she does bring proof of that we'll of course bring you back."
The press conference had been off to a rocky start to begin with, as McEnany clarified that she was speaking in a "personal capacity," evidently in an attempt to sidestep the Hatch Act, which bans political activity from taking place on federal properties like the White House. Later, when asked to provide any evidence whatsoever of her claims, she told a reporter, "look, what we are asking for here is patience."
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And the Rattus norvegicus desertion continues....“He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”Comment
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